A few weeks ago I spent four days in the gorgeous little town of Kohler, Wisconsin with some sweet girlfriends. It was my first time to visit Kohler, Wisconsin and I had no idea what to expect, but I fell so much in love with this cozy little village that I had to share it with you.
Ali, Heidi, Sandy, Sommer, Dara, Amy, Me
We shopped, stayed up way too late, ate chocolate, relaxed at the spa, explored the golf course, and I honestly had some of the best meals of my life here. I was in foodie heaven.
The American Club Resort Is The Best Place To Stay
Kohler’s American Club Resort was just named the Top Resort in the Midwest by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine’s Readers Poll, so if you’re looking for a romantic and unique weekend getaway, I would highly, highly recommend Kohler!
Here was my beautiful room for the weekend at the American Club Resort.
I was in LOVE with this tub! Look! The water is coming from the ceiling! :) It was like my own personal waterfall. All the fixtures were by Kohler, so the bathroom was ultra swanky. :)
The quiet courtyard outside of our rooms. The hotel reminded me of being on an Ivy league college campus. So beautiful, massive, and quiet, with outdoor hallways, long corridors, and coffee shops tucked in the midst of gardens.
This Museum In Kohler Is Great For Remodeling Inspiration
We took a tour of the Kohler Design Center and Museum and saw so many good ideas for gorgeous bathrooms. A great place to visit if you are remodeling or redecorating! Or just need some new ideas to make your home bathroom feel more like a spa. :)
Kohler, Wisconsin Has Some Of The Best Places To Eat
Okay, now onto the food. :) The first night there we had dinner at The Immigrant Restaurant and had the Chef’s Tasting Menu. Seriously one of the best meals of my life. Every single bite was amazing. We started with this appetizer, a Tasmanian Red Crab Cake with soft boiled egg and Lobster Hollandaise. Incredible.
Dessert was this amazing Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla Ice Cream Cake with Bruleed Bananas and Pineapple Compote all swimming in a Peanut Butter sauce and topped with Caramelized Whipped Cream. Heaven in a bowl!
Another favorite, totally casual meal was at the Horse & Plow.
I started with this warm, comforting bowl of Wisconsin Cheese Soup. A must.
I am still dreaming about these Beer-Battered Cheese Curds with country buttermilk ranch dressing!! I didn’t get a picture of the House-Made Pretzel Bites, but those are an absolute must too. :)
For dessert we split this seriously fun State Fair Sundae. Buttered popcorn ice cream topped with caramel popcorn, cotton candy, and chocolate & caramel sauces. I didn’t eat the cotton candy, but I LOVED the ice cream and caramel corn combo!! I am totally doing this the next time I have ice cream. :) So good! :)
Check Out This Bakery In Kohler If You Love Sweets
Kohler also has an amazing chocolate cafe and bakery, the Craverie Chocolatier Café. These cookies were to die for! :)
How swoon-worthy is this massive chocolate cake?? A taste-testing here is a must for sure. :)
Claudine Pepin, Amy, Me, Jacques Pepin.
The Kohler Food & Wine Experience Was So Much Fun
We were there during the annual Kohler Food & Wine Experience, so in our free time we got to attend a few classes and cooking demos with renowned chefs like Jacques Pepin. Jacques and his daughter Claudine had a wonderful cooking demo! They have such great onstage chemistry. The best part was that everyone in the audience gets to taste-test what they’re making. :)
Iron Chef Cat Cora was there doing a cooking demo as well, and after her session we got to sit down and chat with her.
She was so sweet and totally down to earth!
There are So Many Great Places To See In Kohler
I loved being on Kohler’s stunning campus. We were there Oct 17-20 and the fall leaves were at their peak.
On Saturday afternoon we explored the award-winning Whistling Straits Golf Course.
I am not a golfer, but I loved just walking along the quiet trails and taking in the beauty of this course.
Looks like a breeze, huh?? Lol!
The Whistling Straits golf course hosted the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championships and boasts sweeping views of the shores of Lake Michigan.
The golf course is also home to a herd of sweet Aberdeen sheep, brought over from Scotland.
Photo via Dara
This little guy came over to say hi. :)
This Rustic Restaurant Has Amazing Food
Our final meal in Kohler was at the River Wildlife Lodge, a private cabin tucked away in the middle of the woods.
We walked down a leaf-covered trail through the lush forest to reach this cozy, rustic log cabin.
Everything on the menu looked amazing. I had no idea how I was going to choose! I decided on the Flax & Oat Crusted Canadian Walleye with Lemon Scallion Remoulade and it was phenomenal.
And of course, the Brie is always a must!! :) Such a perfect night. This was seriously one of the most unforgettable meals of my life. I feel so lucky to have been a part of such an amazing weekend. Thank you so much to Kohler for hosting me for this event!
Plan Your Own Kohler, Wisconsin Weekend Getaway
If you get the chance to visit Kohler, here’s what I suggest you put on your must-do list :)
Where to Stay
Where to Eat
The Immigrant Restaurant
Horse & Plow
River Wildlife Lodge
Craverie Chocolatier Cafe
What to do
Relax at the Waters Spa
Play golf at (or just explore!) one of the Award-Winning Courses
Shop in Kohler’s Shops at Woodlake
Visit the Kohler Design Center
Plan for the Kohler Food & Wine Experience 2014
Next on your Wisconsin list should be Cedarburg! Perhaps in June during the Strawberry festival or again in fall or winter where the little downtown is SUPER adorable. Be sure to check out Amy’s Candy Kitchen (as seen on Food Network, Martha Stewart, CNN, etc) Créme & Crepe, and the old Rivoli movie theatre from 1936! Be sure to stay at The Washington House Inn and get PJ Pipers for breakfast!
Cat Cora! Sweet. Swoon. So cool.
Wow Amanda, this has to be one of my favorite posts in your blog; how stunning is that picture of the sheep on the hills, it looks like a dream! Makes me want to visit Wisconsin for sure
I think you need to do a fashion recap after all your trips!! I love your outfits…that coat you are wearing…I need!!!
I came to your blog to grab the recipe for the spicy sausage pasta (which by the way was fabulous!) and was excited to see this post. My husband proposed to me in the botanical gardens at the American Club…so beautiful in the spring and summer! Thanks for posting such beautiful photos. :)
OMG…Pepin is my idol.. Have you seen him butcher a chicken? Amazing to watch
Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing, enjoy ‘touching base’ with your website every week or so :-)
Always great photographs to enjoy, sometimes I feel like i was there too!
Love the ipad/armchair travels to kevinandamanda from Sydney Australia!
Amanda, I love reading your blog and your photos of everything are wonderful.
So, don’t take this the wrong way but…seriously…how is it that you don’t weigh 500 pounds!?!?!? I just look at those food photos, read your descriptions and I’m sure 5 pounds land on both hips!!! :-)
That resort looks gorgeous – you were very lucky to get to go there.
Thanks for sharing.
The picture of that cottage is like the cutest picture ever! I hope you had such a fun trip! I would LOVE to meet Cat Cora!
That meal at the Immigrant Restaurant was truly amazing, and your photos make me want to fly right back there and experience it all over again. This is a great recaps with so many wonderful photos, Amanda!
You would not believe the GASP! I let out when I saw your photo with Jacques Pepin! How exciting! I adore him and make many of his dishes in my Southern California home. I am green with envy!
Amanda! You made me homesick for Kohler, and for you! Miss you, girl. We had the same tub. That was so cool. I love that bathroom shot of us girls. :) Great recap and so happy to have spent the time with you in such an amazing, beautiful little city! xo
Amanda, I’m so glad we got to do this together! What a fun and relaxing weekend we had–wish we could all head back right now. Maybe next fall? :)
Prefect timing. I am visiting Koehler this weekend planning on doing the Holiday market
all of your pictures are just gorgeous, and that food WOW
I only live an hour and a half from there and now you have made want to plan a weekend getaway there. Those cheese curds looked amazing! I get good homemade cheese curds a couple times a year and I look forward to them every time.
My younger sister, Deanna, was a bartender in the Library Bar for many years. I have great memories of sitting right there in front of that window with a perfectly made Cosmopolitan.
It was always a treat to enjoy their weekend brunch, or a visit to the Horse and Plow.
I’m going to have to visit her again soon!
It was such a pleasure having you in Kohler, Amanda! Your photos are amazing! I want to eat that dinner at The Immigrant Restaurant again :) Thank you for sharing your experience!
I was drooling over these food pictures when you posted them on instagram, they look even better on your blog. Fantastic post as ever Amanda.
Love all you pictures! Everyone of them tells a story. Any chance you can tell me what settings you were using? I may be getting the Canon 24-70mm f2.8 and was wondering if any of the pictures were taken with that lens.
I’ve spent my entire life living in Wisconsin and I have never heard of Kohler, WI. I will have to go there now. Thanks for the post.
Amanda, I am so enjoying your blog(Cindy Golden told me about it) and am so proud of what you’ve done with it the last 10 years since I spent time with you prior to your marriage. Having grown up in Huntsville I am there about once a month and would love to get together and reconnect sometime if you’d like. The trip to Kohler looks fantastic and a place I’d like to visit! You inspire me.
Your photos are amazing! Makes me want to go there someday!
This trip looks absolutely amazing… that bathtub! And the ice cream sundae is SO fun!
All of your pics are so gorgeous as usual. Obviously I need to wipe down my screen since I have dust on my tongue trying to get to that chocolate cake. Oops.
Hi :-) Nice to have enjoyed it. We begin to dominate winter. It’s dark and raining, but this week I think maybe even snow.
That photograph of the sheep on the hillside is stunning.